Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1887-10-21

I
necessary; for the door was secured
only by leather hinges and it fell in At
least the boys told him so next morning
hat he had kicked in the Mexican
door That was all right, said Joe. He
knew the monte dealer well, and had
often bet an ounce or two in passing his
taac; the damage could not be great {;
hcwould 60 round after breakfast, pay
fop it, and apologize. True,
thFe was the wife; She
pehaps might not appreciate theforcign
paaiotism which disturbed her rest
but she was a bashful retiring little
thing and no one thought Of her. Ap
preaching the house. Joe found the door
stil down. The Mexican was within
placing a hand ON either door-p post to
steady himself, for his head seemed as
big as a barrel and his legs were little
sh2ky, he began to talk to the man in
broken Spanish, as best he could. Sud
delly from a corner where she had lain
concealed the little woman sprang up
and quick as flash threw herself upon
the strong mans breast and buried her
knife in his bosom 1t was all done in
an instant, and he who had come to
make reparation for a trivial injury com
mitted in a moment of music, he, the
imago of physical perfection aud the
pride of the camp, lay as dead. Why
did she do it2 Did this man visit her
house to insult herr Had they met at
any time, and was there ill-will existing
Oh either side2 No one knew. All those
miners knew or cared to know was that
it was monstrous punishment for SO
slight thing
l And now, when the enraged miners,
with blow Of the fst, burst in her
door and stood before her. Juanita mani
Tested not the slightest fear; and yet
size 5nas.l. el,a .,...--- e. 1t was not l.fi-
N4E nor brazen impudcuce; she assumeu
NO character; she acted only on the
primary impulse Of her nature, and that
was stoical submission to inexorable fate.
She knew that she must die, and that
was the end Of it. Within range of a
pistol shot were ,, 600 men, every one Of
whom harbored at that moment a deter
mined purpose sufficient to insure her
death, and she knew it; the very GER
tainty Of the result seemed to destroy
the sting of death. Hastily putting in
place some scattered articles and glanc-
ing carefully at her dress-she was al
ready attired in her best-she signifed
her readiness to go. The blaze of angry
eyes and the frown1ng faces were all lost
on her; she was thinking other own af-
fairs, thinking how she should send
something to her friends; thinking about
her household, and how her husband
would do in her absence.
\ large pavilion that had been erected
for the celebration ceremonies of the
day before still stood near the centre Of
the town; there was a raised platform
with chairs and table, making it Just
the place for the occasion, and there the
dark-eyed, bashful little murderess was
conducted by her guard of 1000.
Twelve men eagerly responded to the
call for jury; happy he who could
have part in this gentle strangulation.
CHANGING at each other and at the min
ers around Them they seemed to say.
"All is safe and settled; woman or no
woman, she hangs" Lawyers for the
defense were backward in presenting
themselves, but there were twenty for
the prosecution. Probably in the his
tory of mobs there was never form of
trial more farcical than this Had they
hanged the woman Immediately, our re
spect would be greater than when we
see a criminal so absolutely and univer-
sally prejudiced and sentenced be-
fore trial 1t was wholly unlike the
procedure Of the customary popular
tribunal 1t seemed that on the
instant the miners had not only thrown
aside their usual chivalrous alteration
Of sex. but that now they would
wreak their relentless wrath upon the
object Of their adherence with all the
force they possessed. That there was so
little Of this woman to pulyerize and
scatter seemed TO exasperate them. A
humane physician mounted the stand
and testified that she was not in fit
condition to be hanged. What such
testimony had to do with the case no
body knew or cared. A howl of disap-
proyal followed the good doctor was
driven from the stand, driven from the
town, and dared not return or show
himself for several days As there was
not a lawyer who had the courage to de-
find her, a gentleman attempted a
speech in behalf Of the prisoner but he
was beaten off the platform, kicked
from the tribunal, and kicked along the
passage-way that opened through the
dense crowd without until he reached
The limits Of the town and was glad to
escape aeross the river with his hat and
mule behind him Alta hotel overlook
ing the tribunal was candidate running
lor Congress; he wa bcsought to go out
and peak to the mob, but had no am
litioa that way II was not Of the
stuff Of which martyrs arc made. There
were times ana places for MI things 4
'iH iar llyo atiu law an ord r., and
q ina %. rcfaiaia4 from il. and tins